11. SCARFACE (1983)
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Cast: Al Pacino, Michael Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer
Plot:
A movie with immense violence and grotesque thrills, Scarface is a direction of Howard Hawks and Richard Rosson. The story revolves around a Cuban immigrant Tony Montana as he wills to dominate Miami’s flow of drugs through whatever means necessary. While he is ambitious and violently insane, his weakness comes to be the reason for his downfall.
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12. THE DEPARTED (2006)
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Cast: Leonardo Di Caprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson
Plot:
Another Scorsese classic, The Departed has earned its position well in the mafia films genre. Although it’s based on a Hongkong Movie, Internal Affairs, with a combination of a smart plot and brilliant characters, The Departed revolves around the story of a waging war on Irish-American organised crime gang, with an undercover cop and a mole in the South Boston police trying to identify each other. The constant chases keep the audience hooked and makes the film enjoyable.
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13. RESERVOIR DOGS (1992)
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Cast: Harvey Keitel, Tom Roth, Michael Madsen
Plot:
Another Quentin Tarantino classic, Reservoir Dogs is a sparkling story of five criminals put together for a heist that goes wrong. It is when the heist goes horribly, the rest of the surviving criminals start to doubt about a mole among them. With a master grip on storytelling and witty plot, the film still holds as a classic unconventional gangster flick.
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14. BOYZ N’ THE HOOD (1991)
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Cast: Cuba Gooding Jr., Lawrence Fishburne, Hudhail Al-Amir
Plot:
Exploring life on the streets of Los Angeles, Boyz N’ The Hood steers away from the depression of mafia strongholds such as New York City or Vegas. The film is John Singleton’s compassionate debut, where the audience is drawn into the life of Tre, a young Afro-American in South Central LA, trying and failing to stay clear of violent warfare between gang lords of the area. The film provides a realistic depiction of LA gang life in the early ‘90s.
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15. SNATCH (2000)
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Cast: Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Stephen Graham
Plot:
A brilliant cult film from Guy Richie, Snatch is the tale of a Russian gangster, violent bookmakers, unethical boxing promoters, useless robbers and a Jewish jeweler who fight to find a priceless diamond which is stolen.
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16. MILLER’S CROSSING (1990)
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Cast: Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, John Turturro
Plot:
Directed by the Coen brothers, Miller’s Crossing is like a love letter to gangster flicks. It spins on Prohibition-era gangster flick where Tom Reagan is an advisor to a crime boss, trying to maintain peace but gets caught in divided loyalties. A feature with plot twists, double crosses, smart dialogues, Miller’s Crossing is way different from the typical gangster flicks, with its light-hearted energy and emotional undertones.
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17. AMERICAN GANGSTER (2007)
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Cast: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Plot:
Directed by Ridley Scott, this partly biographical film is inspired from the life of Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas. Offering a thrilling tale of international drug rings and deals gone wrong, American Gangster also provides a view to Frank’s intelligence and charisma, as well as to his brutality and criminality.
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18. PULP FICTION (1994)
IMDb Rating: 8.9/10
Cast: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson
Plot:
Pulp Fiction builds a non-linear universe, with John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson as wise cracking hit men. Deviating from the usual villains obsessed with fame and money, this post-modern epic revels in the curious humanity of the society’s lowest. An exhilarating feature with some mind-blowing scenes, Pulp Fiction is another work of Quentin Tarantino.
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19. ROAD TO PERDITION (2002)
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Rob Maxey
Plot:
A story of redemption and revenge, Road to Perdition conveyed the grit of a gangster’s life through mood rather than dialogue. Director Sam Mendes uses the imagery of Great Depression-era America to tell the story of a gangster and his son, who has witnessed a mother, forcing both to change certain choices of life.
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20. CITY OF GOD (2002)
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Cast: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Matheus Nachtergaele
Plot:
While most gangster stories are set in dark alleys or huge mansions, City of God features an entirely different backdrop. A kinetic multi-generational portrait of life and death, the film follows a Brazilian kid who miraculously survives several years in a place where guns and ammo outnumber consequences. Director Fernando Meirelles paints a picture which shows how love and tragedy can coexist in the worst conditions.
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21. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005)
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris
Plot:
As the name itself suggests, this David Cronenberg movie is as violent as most gangster movies are. However, he contextualizes the brutality and makes the audience face emotional pangs in every scene of bloodshed. The story builds up when a mild man becomes a hero through a violent act, setting off repercussions for his family and his very self.
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22. RIFIFI (1955)
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Cast: Jean Servias, Carl Mohner, Robert Manuel
Plot:
Directed by Jules Dassin, an originally French crime noir, Rififi is the story of four friends who plot an intricate plan for an impossible jewelry heist on Rue de Rivoli. With numerous plot twists and shocking moments, the movie is another unconventional crime drama.
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23. THE STING (1973)
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Cast: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw
Plot:
A story of revenge, The Sting is a direction of George Roy Hill, where the story revolves around a swindler who decides to seek vengeance when his partner is killed by a ruthless crime lord. With stars like Paul Newman and Robert Redford, the film offers a romanticized view of the con life.
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24. A BRONX TALE (1993)
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Cast: Robert De Niro, Chazz Palminteri, Lillo Brancatto
Plot:
Directed and starring Robert de Niro, this gangster epic is the tale of a character Calogero struggling to find his meaning in 1960s Bronx, after befriending a local mob lord, while his father is worried regarding the friendship and tries to keep Calogero away from crime but which gradually seems like a losing battle.
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25. THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY (1980)
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Cast: Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Paul Freeman
Plot:
With a sharp touch of timeliness, The Long Good Friday is a gangster flick directed by John Mackenzie. In a shadow of the creeping capitalist dream, Cockney crime boss Harold Shand finds himself at the centre of a dangerous crime nexus, involving American mafia and Republican Irish terrorists. When a series of bombing takes place in his empire, Shand sets out to eliminate the mole which he believes exists in his empire.
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26. GOMORRAH (2008)
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
Cast: Gianfelice Imparato, Salvatore Abbruzzese, Toni Servillo
Plot:
Director Matteo Garrone dramatized real world corruption along with well-armed teens in the portrayal of modern-day crimes in Southern Italy. The plot is based on a book with the same name where teens form gangs to survive the corruption, power and drugs race.
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27. MEAN STREETS (1973)
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Cast: Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, David Proval
Plot:
Another of Scorsese’s crime drama, Mean Streets is the story of a small-time mobster who aspires to make big in life. The movie explores the grasping underside of the gangland dream.
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28. EASTERN PROMISES (2007)
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Cast: Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen, Armin Mueller-Stahi
Plot:
In this David Cronenberg feature, Eastern Promises focuses on the perverted power of sex trafficking rings run by a Russian mafia. Cronenberg uses violence to craft a realistic yet chilling story of a grimacing antihero.
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29. SICARIO (2015)
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro
Plot:
Kate Macer, an FBI agent gets exposed to harsh realities when he is enlisted to aid in an escalating war against drug cartels at the border area between the US and Mexico. A Dennis Villeneuve direction, Sicario is heavy on action and gritty realism.
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30. WHITE HEAT (1949)
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Cast: James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O’Brien
Plot:
One of the first movies to explore mobster lore, White Heat is the story of a psychopathic criminal who makes a prison break to meet his old gang and lead them in a chemical plant payroll heist. Directed by Raoul Walsh, the film establishes classic tropes, such as train robberies and police shootouts, making the plot thrilling and another classic of historical crime cinema.
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